Win an adventure in the South Downs National Park

People on an adventure in the South Downs National Park. Picture by Simon Dack.

Published:06:30Wednesday 16 March 2016

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More and more hikers, cyclists, horse-riders and picknickers are using public transport to travel around the South Downs.

And now a new campaign is aiming to encourage even more people to follow the trend and have an adventure by bus or train in the South Downs National Park this year.

Horse rider Angela Gallen prepares to board a train for a South Downs National Park adventure. Picture by Simon Dack

The South Downs National Park attracts some 46 million day-visitors every year and research suggests that car use dropped by five per cent from 2014 to 2015. In the meantime, travel by train, cycling, walking and coach tour all increased.

Trevor Beattie, chief executive of the South Downs National Park Authority, said: “As one of the easiest National Parks to explore without a car, we want to encourage more people to get outside and have an adventure that starts from railway stations and bus stops.

“Already visitors are beginning to see their journey as part of the adventure – we know that small children love taking the bus or train, while adults can relax and watch the scenery unfold instead of having to watch the road or worry about where to park the car.”

There is an adventure for everyone in the South Downs – from discovering new trails on bikes to finding that perfect picnic spot, heading out on horseback or taking to the skies in a paraglider. Or how about an adventure back in time at an historic house or discovering how wine is made at a local vineyard – and if people go by bus or train, they can enjoy tasting it, too!

And to help celebrate it, this newspaper, and its sister titles across Sussex, is offering five lucky readers the chance to win their very own adventure – see this week’s edition for full details.

The South Downs National Park Authority works closely with Community Rail Partnerships to promote train travel in the National Park.

Samantha Lear, Community Rail Manager from Sussex Community Rail Partnership which helps promote local rail travel across the county, said: “You might be surprised by how much of the South Downs you can reach by train. Our line guides for the entire network are ready to help people plan their next adventure.”

Find more ideas for adventures in the South Downs National Park and information on bus and train services at www.southdowns.gov.uk, and don’t miss this week’s newspaper for the competition – inside the Crawley Observer and West Sussex Gazette dated March 16, the Chichester Observer series titles, Worthing Herald series titles, Mid Sussex Times and West Sussex County Times dated March 17, and the Eastbourne Herald, Sussex Express and Hastings Observer series editions dated Friday, March 18.

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